Gandhi papers safe, says Rajnath

Gandhi

New Delhi, July 11 (PTI): Nearly 11,000 files were destroyed during spring cleaning ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but papers related to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination were not among them, home minister Rajnath Singh said today.

Rajnath made the suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha two days after CPM MP P. Rajeev alleged on the basis of media reports that 1.5 lakh files, including those relating to Gandhi’s assassination, were destroyed.

Rajnath said the files were destroyed after Modi stressed on improving the hygiene and cleanliness of the workplace.

A cabinet secretary instruction had said that “files and papers should be weeded out in accordance with rules of record keeping”.

“In accordance with the instructions, the files lying in different sections of the home ministry were reviewed and a total of 11,100 files were destroyed during the period June 5-July 8 this year,” Rajnath said.

“None of the 11,100 files so destroyed relate to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. This is also to inform that none of the files destroyed related to either Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri or Lord Mountbatten as alleged by the MP.”

He said 52 files, 67 exhibits and 11,186 papers relating to Gandhi’s assassination were safe in the national archives.